New model radio Yaesu FT 891.
If you received your September QST magazine you should have noticed that Yaseu had a full page ad promoting a new model radio, namely the FT 891.
Judging from the looks of the radio in the picture it seems it is a slight revamp and new improved version of the FT 897.
The 891 is a standard SSB/CW/ digital input radio, it is not promoting C4FM the only thing it is promoting is a small rig for the field or mobile use.
In this model you will note that two meters and 70CM are missing, the 897 included those bands, this new model is functional from 160 meters to six meters. It offers 100 watts and a detachable head, it is shown with the head attached. I suspect that if you want to separate the head from the main body there will be additional charges, namely ether net cable, a longer mic cord, and an entanglement of wires and cables that is not present with a single piece radio.
The mic is a basic bare bones, it has buttons for up, down and fast, not sure if this can be set up to change band or not. My educated guess is it is a step control and will move either 5, 10, or 20khz per the programing in the menu.
We noticed that several function buttons were on top of the head, this may be hard to see under normal conditions, again we shall see what this model looks like when we are able to look at one. As of this date the 891 is not for sale, or available in this country until FCC approval, so do not expect it to on anyone’s shelf until that time.
I also noted by the picture in QST it appears the microphone is connected to the main body and not to the front, or bottom of the head. Again, to note Yaseu would provide a ten foot ether cable and a six foot microphone cable. If you wish to locate the main unit more then ten feet away, you are forced into buying a longer, over inflated priced microphone cable to extend the length.
With this radio it is hoped that two problems have been addressed, then again maybe not, we will have to see what the “Product Review in QST has to say. Problem one I had with the 897 was the sensitivity to static electricity. If you had carpet in you shack, walked across the room and touched a knob on the 897 you would draw an arc. The knobs were conductive, sending a spike to the small screen and blowing the driver chip. The screen would go dark rendering the radio useless. This happened twice to me and both times due to the very small size of the chip I had no choice other then to return my 897 to Yaseu. for Repair.
The other problem the 897 displayed was the selectivity, if you had a very strong signal near a weaker signal your weaker signal would be wiped out. This held true with as little as five kHz separation between the two signals.
Now, do not compare the 891 to a Kenwood 990, an Icom 7800, or Yaseu FT 5k. You can only cram so much in a small box. What this rig should be used for is a portable, mobile, or Field day application, it will serve you well for a fixed station rig and of course take up little space. You provide an external power supply for about 20 amps maximum, let’s see what product review says in a month,or two.
